reedy's rambles

I bought three of my students McDonald's on Monday. It was a surprise because they were great when I was not so great last week. I was on edge all week. As we were eating lunch together, I told one student, "Thank you for trying to cheer me up all week. I noticed how you made sure everyone cleaned up after class. I am sorry I didn't tell you I noticed." To another student I said, "I am sorry I took my frustration out on you. I am sorry I ignored you when you wanted to talk about it after class." And to the third, "Thank you for talking me out of writing a whole class up. Thank you for taking over small group for me when I had enough." They looked at each other and agreed they were heroes and deserved McDonalds. We laughed, and then one of them said, "Glad to have you back, Ms. R."

"The disease may worsen over a period of 10 to 20 years, and IgA patients may eventually require dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, in the majority of patients who undergo transplantation, the disease re-occurs in the transplanted kidneys. Currently, researchers do not know what causes the condition or how to cure it."

God, You are hope. You are our creator. I am not sure what to pray for right now. Healing? Yes, please, God, please. Strength? Pour out a strength that can only come from You. Time. Love. Ease my brother's heavy heart. Give Sara all the love and hope she needs right now. Wrap your arms around my nephew and niece. You are our God, and I love you. Amen

Please pray for my brother and family. My brother has kidney disease. They think it might be IGA. He had a biopsy today, and we will know more Monday. He is scared. My sister-in-law is being so brave. My dad and I put my niece and nephew to bed tonight. They have an appointment at Mayo clinic in a couple of weeks. This just feels like craziness. I know this is such a choppy post, but I am tired.

I am not a fan of frozen meatballs. Even Sam's frozen meatballs. I just don't like premade meatballs. They all have a gummy component that makes me nauseous.

I do like Trader Joe's. I spend less money there because I buy just things I really like. I really like their frozen mango, frozen berries, cinammon pita chips, chicken vindaloo, chocolate covered bananas, endamame, tomato vodka sauce, and passion fruit & mango juice.

Speaking of passion fruit juice, my sisters and I used to call any juice with passion fruit "wake-up juice" because of its tartitanginess.

This is such a silly post. I really do have a lot of seriousness in my head I could hash out here, but I think I will end with just a conversation with a student today:

"Hey, Ms. R, dog, can I go to the restroom?"
"Martez, can you please rephrase that?"
"Oh yeah, sorry, may I go to the restroom?"

It sneaks up on you. At first, it might be glance at a picture tucked away or a comment left on your myspace page from a friend. Sometimes it is self-induced-- a harmless ticket price check on Orbitz. But it grows and develops. You give it a window and it sneaks in and sets up a temporary shelter in your heart. You're vulnerable because it is winter and cold here, so you check the weather channel and type in a zip code that starts with 00, and it tell you what you already knew-- 85 degrees with a chance of an afternoon shower. Then you can't help what happens next. You look at other people's vacation pictures and sigh when you see pictures that could have been your photos. Then you post the pictures because you need other people to see, to know, to try and feel. But you know they can't understand.

"I thought we had a deal."
"We do."
"You broke it today, and you don't have to lie to me."
"But I didn't smoke it before your class, I smoked before first hour."

And that my friends is the logic of a middle schooler.

Once upon a time, I was at my parents' house. I fixed a cup of tea using a lonely tea bag from a box of assorted teas. I tasted the tea, and it reminded me of a canned beverage I enjoy from international food stores, Chrysanthemum tea. I looked at the tea bag, and sure enough it was Chrysanthemum tea. I thought, wow, I love this taste and will need to get more Chrysanthemum tea.

However, trip after trip to store after store proved fruitless. I could buy dried Chrysanthemums from an Asian food store, but that seemed a bit too complicated. Then . . . I was at Trader Joe's. I looked at their tea section which I always check. A small sign proclaimed, "Brand New Product!" I have already drank three cups of Chrysanthemum tea. I love drinking Chrysanthemum tea. I also love spelling Chrysanthemum.